Middle School Earth Camp
(Entering grades 7-9)

June 9-13 & 16-20, 2014

Earth Camp opens eyes and minds to our unique, interdependent and awe-inspiring planet, drawing connections from our homes, to our region, to the globe, and to what we can learn about Earth from space.

Conceived to honor the legacy of Columbia space shuttle astronaut Laurel Clark, the goal of Earth Camp is to educate and inspire youth to build leadership skills through experiential learning and conceptual understanding of earth processes. Earth Camp seeks to expand youth awareness of the interdependency of all living things, create a sense of wonder related to the Sonoran Desert and ecosystems worldwide, as well as open their eyes to the "awe-inspiring" universal perspective

Middle School Earth Camp will challenge youth entering grades 7, 8 and 9 to consider water resources and sustainability issues. During the first week, students will work with a team of experts representing the diverse branches of science that study the environment. Students will gain exposure to techniques in soil science, hydrology, tree-ring studies, botany and more through hands-on experiments and data collection. The second week will include activities tailored to show campers what actions they can take in their own homes, communities and schools to live more sustainably now and into the future.

By interacting with live animals, harvesting saguaro fruit, camping in the desert and the mountain tops, removing invasive species from a lake, coring trees for tree-ring analysis atop Mt. Lemmon, exploring behind-the-scenes at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, scanning the night sky through telescopes at the University of Arizona Sky Center, viewing the earth through space imagery, completing research at the UA Biosphere 2, biking through the streets of Tucson to visit a farmer's market, meeting with community members who are making a difference, sketching/writing in field journals, recording data and images on individual Earth Camp web pages, and preparing presentations to share with their families during a Learning Celebration at the conclusion of the camp, Earth Campers become intimately connected to the world around them and better able to make choices that balance the needs of humans and the rest of nature.

A two-week experience including day-trips and four overnight adventures, Earth Camp will engage youth with hands-on investigations everyday and provide opportunities to explore the diverse academic and career opportunities that are available to them.

Participants are selected by an application process. Applications must be received by April 15th. Space is limited to 20 youth. Applicants will be notified by May 3rd. Camp fee of $1000 ($900 for ASDM Members) for selected participants is due by May 15th. Thanks to generous support from private donors, partial scholarships are available.

View a sample of our day by day activities.

For more information call Amy Orchard at 520-883-3083.

The application deadline of May 1st 2014 has passed.

About the Instructors:

Amy Orchard has been an environmental educator since 1992. She has worked at Arches National Park as an interpretive ranger, at numerous river companies throughout the western US as a river guide and as an Education Specialist at the Desert Museum since 2000. Amy also is a registered yoga instructor (RYT 200) and loves teaching all ages and all levels of yoga. She enjoys her position at the museum working with the Junior Docent program and its 30 teen volunteers as well as the being the lead coordinator and instructor for the Earth Camp programs since 2005. Amy's own two daughters are now on big adventures of their own, so she looks forward to spending lots of time with other youth. Amy is a certified Wilderness First Responder (many steps above basic first aid certification) and is current in CPR certification. Besides teaching, practicing yoga and working with teens, she enjoys knitting, biking, backpacking with her husband, star gazing and listening to the breeze move through the spines of a saguaro.

Alexander Prescott currently attends the Honors College at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he is pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources, as well as a B.A. in Mathematics, with a minor in Geosciences. Alexander has worked with Arizona Project WET, a water education organization based out of the University of Arizona, since March 2011, where he is currently the student assistant. He has experience organizing community gardens, working on organic farms, and in the construction of rainwater harvesting infrastructure. Alexander is conducting research under a professor in the Department of Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources at the U of A, focusing on the glacial geomorphology of a specific region on Mars. Alexander lives for ultimate frisbee.